1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to compressed air engines. Particularly, it relates to such an engine capable of maintaining the pressure in its supply tank at a pre-determined level for efficient and continuous operation. More particularly, one embodiment of the instant invention relates to an adaptation of the Wankel-type rotary engine which adaptation enhances engine efficiency for using compressed air as its force of propulsion.
2. Description of Related Art (Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98)
In spite of their many benefits, internal combustion engines for powering motor vehicles and fossil fuel burning plants used in energy producing operations throughout the industrialized nations have been under attack for many years because of their inherent characteristics which produce air and other pollutants. This is due, of course, to the nature and required volumes of the fossil fuel needed to produce the necessary power for the various uses to which the engines are put, not the inherent design of the engine itself. Much research has been devoted to increase the combustion efficiency and filter the exhaust from these power plants with a view to "saving" the atmosphere through more efficient and cleaner burning. In particular, various steps have been taken by the automotive industry to reduce fuel consumption by automobiles. For example, computer monitoring of internal combustion engine functions and fuel flow has resulted in the production of a more complete combustion of the air fuel mixture after it enters the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. Once the gas is burned and subsequently exhausted, it is then filtered through a catalytic converter which removes additional pollutants before the exhaust is expelled into the atmosphere. The relative successes of such operations, however, have been incrementally slow and limited.
One of the approaches taken in the production of a completely clean power plant is the design of an air powered engine which is, of course, completely pollution free, since there are absolutely no combustion gasses generated and released into the atmosphere. However, design in this area has been somewhat limited because of the reduced power output capable for such engines and because of their somewhat inefficient and complex operations. The air engine, therefore, has seen only limited use in some cases as an auxiliary power plant with a combustion engine as the primary power source, or more often it has been abandoned entirely in favor of other systems because of the auxiliary power needed to maintain an adequate supply of air pressure for the system.
Various attempts to successfully develop commercial air engines include:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Title ______________________________________ 3,765,180 Compressed Air Engine 3,925,984 Compressed Air Power Plant 4,102,130 Converting An Internal Combustion Engine to a Single Acting Engine Driven by Steam or Compressed Air 4,104,955 Compressed Air-Operated Motor Employing an Air Distributor 4,124,978 Compressed Air Engine 4,311,084 Pneumatic Engine 4,370,857 Pneumatic System for Compressed Air Driven Vehicle 4,478,304 Compressed Air Power Engine 4,590,767 Hot Gas Engine and Vehicle Driven System 4,596,119 Compressed Air Propulsion System for a Vehicle 4,651,525 Piston Reciprocating Compressed Air Engine 5,154,051 Air Liquefier and Separator of Air Constituents for a Liquid 5,491,977 Engine Using Compressed Air 5,638,681 Piston Internal-Combustion Engine 5,680,764 Clean Air Engines Transportation and Other Power Applications ______________________________________
The devices described by the above-recited patents fall far short of commercial practicality. If they are pollution-free they are too complicated, and, if simple, they are not pollution-free.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a relatively simple, efficient non-polluting air-powered engine, which produces power sufficient to attain driving speeds comparable to or greater than conventional fossil fuel powered engines.
Another object of this invention is to provide such an air powered engine which makes use of an auxiliary air compressor having an auxiliary compressor to fill a compressed air supply tank up to a predetermined minimum level and as the engine consumes air from the supply tank, the auxiliary compressor is again driven for recharging the compressed air supply tank to continue to build up to a maximum predetermined air pressure level, thereby maintaining this level for smooth running operation.